Convolutional neural network training with artificial pattern for Bangla handwritten numeral recognition

Recognition of handwritten numerals has gained much interest in recent years due to its various application potentials. The progress of handwritten Bangla numeral is well behind Roman, Chinese and Arabic scripts although it is a major language in Indian subcontinent and is the first language of Bangladesh. Handwritten numeral classification is a high dimensional complex task and existing methods use distinct feature extraction techniques and various classification tools in their recognition schemes. Recently, convolutional neural network (CNN) is found efficient for image classification with its distinct features. In this study, a CNN based method has been investigated for Bangla handwritten numeral recognition. A moderated pre-processing has been adopted to produce patterns from handwritten scan images. On the other hand, CNN has been trained with the patterns plus a number of artificial patterns. A simple rotation based approach is employed to generate artificial patterns. The proposed CNN with artificial pattern is shown to outperform other existing methods while tested on a popular Bangla benchmark handwritten dataset

Multiple convolutional neural network training for Bangla handwritten numeral recognition

Recognition of handwritten numerals has gained much interest in recent years due to its various application potentials. The progress of handwritten Bangla numeral is well behind Roman, Chinese and Arabic scripts although it is a major language in Indian subcontinent and is the first language of Bangladesh. Handwritten numeral classification is a high-dimensional complex task and existing methods use distinct feature extraction techniques and various classification tools in their recognition schemes. Recently, convolutional neural network (CNN) is found efficient for image classification with its distinct features. In this study, three different CNNs with same architecture are trained with different training sets and combined their decisions for Bangla handwritten numeral recognition. One CNN is trained with ordinary training set prepared from handwritten scan images; and training sets for other two CNNs are prepared with fixed (positive and negative, respectively) rotational angles of original images. The proposed multiple CNN based approach is shown to outperform other existing methods while tested on a popular Bangla benchmark handwritten dataset

Nutritional status of children in India: household socio-economic condition as the contextual determinant

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite recent achievement in economic progress in India, the fruit of development has failed to secure a better nutritional status among all children of the country. Growing evidence suggest there exists a socio-economic gradient of childhood malnutrition in India. The present paper is an attempt to measure the extent of socio-economic inequality in chronic childhood malnutrition across major states of India and to realize the role of household socio-economic status (SES) as the contextual determinant of nutritional status of children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using National Family Health Survey-3 data, an attempt is made to estimate socio-economic inequality in childhood stunting at the state level through Concentration Index (CI). Multi-level models; random-coefficient and random-slope are employed to study the impact of SES on long-term nutritional status among children, keeping in view the hierarchical nature of data.</p> <p>Main findings</p> <p>Across the states, a disproportionate burden of stunting is observed among the children from poor SES, more so in urban areas. The state having lower prevalence of chronic childhood malnutrition shows much higher burden among the poor. Though a negative correlation (r = -0.603, p < .001) is established between Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) and CI values for stunting; the development indicator is not always linearly correlated with intra-state inequality in malnutrition prevalence. Results from multi-level models however show children from highest SES quintile posses 50 percent better nutritional status than those from the poorest quintile.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In spite of the declining trend of chronic childhood malnutrition in India, the concerns remain for its disproportionate burden on the poor. The socio-economic gradient of long-term nutritional status among children needs special focus, more so in the states where chronic malnutrition among children apparently demonstrates a lower prevalence. The paper calls for state specific policies which are designed and implemented on a priority basis, keeping in view the nature of inequality in childhood malnutrition in the country and its differential characteristics across the states.</p

A neuroimaging study in childhood autism

Background: Childhood autism is now widely viewed as being of developmental neurological origin. Abnormality in neuroimaging is reported in autism.Objectives: To delineate the proportion of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electro encephalography (EEG) abnormality among the children with Autism and to assess any association of MRI and EEG changes with co morbid mental illness.Methods: It was a cross sectional descriptive study done at a child and adolescent consultation centre, Dhaka. The study was Carried out from January 2009 to December 2009. Both boys and girls were included in the study. A total of 42 children with childhood autism aged between two and 12 years partici­pated in this study. Diagnosis of autism was based on ICD-10(DCR) criteria. Results: Abnormalities were found to be 35.7% in MRI and 42.9% in EEG. EEG abnormalities were found in the form of defuse slow waves activities, generalized faster activities, epileptogenic discharge and mixed discharge. The abnormalities in MRI was found in the form of diffuse cortical atrophic changes, focal cortical atrophy in frontal and temporal cortex with widening of major sulci, prominent ventricles, periventricular degeneration and abnormal basal ganglia. EEG changes were significantly associated with increased number of co-morbid illness (mental retardation, epilepsy and others). Conclusion: A number of abnom1alities that observed in the present study indicative of relations between structural and physiological dysfunctions and childhood autism. Further exploratory and in-depth researches are certainly required in this field. Intervention of autism needs to address co morbidities for better outcome

Hot-spot traffic pattern on hierarchical 3D mesh network

A Hierarchical 3D-Mesh (H3DM) Network s a 2D-mesh network of multiple basic modules (BMs), in which the basic modules are 3D-torus networks that are hierarchically interconnected for higher-level networks. In this paper, we evaluate the dynamic communication performance of a H3DM network under hot-spot traffic pattern using a deadlock-free dimension order routing algorithm with minimum number of virtual channels. We have also evaluated the dynamic communication performance of the mesh and torus networks. It is shown that under most imbalance hot-spot traffic pattern H3DM network yields high throughput and low average transfer time than that of mesh and torus networks, providing better dynamic communication performance compared to those networks

Bangla handwritten numeral recognition using convolutional neural network

Recognition of handwritten numerals has gained much interest in recent years due to its various application potentials. Although Bangla is a major language in Indian subcontinent and is the first language of Bangladesh study regarding Bangla handwritten numeral recognition (BHNR) is very few with respect to other major languages such Roman. The existing BHNR methods uses distinct feature extraction techniques and various classification tools in their recognition schemes. Recently, convolutional neural network (CNN) is found efficient for image classification with its distinct features. It also automatically provides some degree of translation invariance. In this paper, a CNN based BHNR is investigated. The proposed BHNR-CNN normalizes the written numeral images and then employ CNN to classify individual numerals. It does not employ any feature extraction method like other related works. 17000 hand written numerals with different shapes, sizes and variations are used in this study. The proposed method is shown satisfactory recognition accuracy and outperformed other prominent exiting methods

Measurement of solids circulation rate in a high temperature dual fluidized bed pilot plant

A pilot scale dual fluidized bed gasification system, consisting of a riser as combustor and a bubbling bed as gasifier, is being operated at high solid circulation fluxes to provide necessary heat from the combustor to the gasifier in support of endothermic steam gasification reactions. Since the circulation rate strongly affects mass and energy balances, and therefore greatly influences hydrodynamics and performance of the system, a reliable technique for its accurate measurement is needed. However, there are no reported techniques suitable for measuring solid circulation rates at elevated temperatures typical of gasification systems. A novel thermal-tracing technique for measuring solids circulation rate is being developed. Particles at room temperatures (cold particles) are injected into a downward-moving packed bed of solids at elevated temperature (hot particles), creating cold zones inside the moving bed which are tracked using thermocouples along the vertical flow path of solids. The descent of the cold zone over the known distance between two adjacent heights gives the velocity of solids particles, from which the circulation rate is estimated. The values measured so far are satisfactory as the technique provides solids circulation rate information beyond the capability of other techniques. A pressure balance in circulation loop during each batch of tests is used to interpret the results. A novel butterfly valve, currently under construction, will be employed to provide results for comparison with those obtained using the thermal-tracing technique

Benefit incidence analysis of healthcare in Bangladesh – equity matters for universal health coverage

Background: Equity in access to and utilization of healthcare is an important goal for any health system and an essential prerequisite for achieving Universal Health Coverage for any country. Objectives: This study investigated the extent to which health benefits are distributed across socioeconomic groups; and how different types of providers contribute to inequity in health benefits of Bangladesh. Methodology: The distribution of health benefits across socioeconomic groups was estimated using concentration indices. Health benefits from three types of formal providers were analysed (public, private and NGO providers), separated into rural and urban populations. Decomposition of concentration indices into types of providers quantified the relative contribution of providers to the overall distribution of benefits across socioeconomic groups. Eventually, the distribution of benefits was compared to the distribution of healthcare need (proxied by ‘self-reported illness and symptoms’) across socioeconomic groups. Data from the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2010 and WHO-CHOICE were used. Results: An overall pro-rich distribution of healthcare benefits was observed (CI = 0.229, t-value = 9.50). Healthcare benefits from private providers (CI = 0.237, t-value = 9.44) largely favoured the richer socioeconomic groups. Little evidence of inequity in benefits was found in public (CI = 0.044, t-value = 2.98) and NGO (CI = 0.095, t-value = 0.54) providers. Private providers contributed by 95.9% to overall inequity. The poorest socioeconomic group with 21.8% of the need for healthcare received only 12.7% of the benefits, while the richest group with 18.0% of the need accounted for 32.8% of the health benefits. Conclusion: Overall healthcare benefits in Bangladesh were pro-rich, particularly because of health benefits from private providers. Public providers were observed to contribute relatively slightly to inequity. The poorest (richest) people with largest (least) need for healthcare actually received lower (higher) benefits. When working to achieve Universal Health Coverage in Bangladesh, particular consideration should be given to ensuring that private sector care is more equitable